Making A Marriage
by MiHnn
Summary: When forced to marry, Harry and Hermione decided to focus on their friendship rather than trying to start a romantic relationship. But maybe they had that romantic relationship all along.
1. Prologue

**A/N: **Remember when I said that fluffy fics were coming up? Here's my first romance/flangst (fluff & angst) multi-chapter for this pairing. If anyone recognises this from the smutty clause fest two years ago, you're right! I'm simply re-vamping my one-shot and fleshing it out more. Not sure how many chapters yet, but after the prologue I'm going to make sure that the chapters are pretty substantial.

I've always wanted to use this premise for Harry/Hermione, as ridiculous as it is.

I'll try to update the fic once a week.

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**Prologue**

**.**

Hermione hadn't expected things to go the way it did. Had she been told about her impending decision, she would have expected to fight it until her last breath, never giving in to those who tried to force her hand and standing defiant until the last moment.

But, that had been nearly two years ago.

Hermione blinked rapidly at the image that greeted her. Her mother was sobbing so violently that her cheeks were shining with happy tears and her father kept slapping the shoulders of any man he met, drink in hand and a wide smile on his lips. She couldn't help but wonder how they could not have noticed the mood she had been in the past few weeks; the girl who was barely twenty one who was forced to marry against her will. The initiation of the Marriage Law had first made her laugh at the ridiculousness it portrayed, but the laughter stopped when a grumpy Ministry owl dropped the dreaded letter on her desk before disappearing almost immediately, the Howler letting anyone within fifteen feet know that she was the recent victim of the ill-conceived law. She didn't care that it had a one hundred percent success rate, she didn't care that anyone who had been drafted and paired were the happiest that she had ever seen them; Hermione considered herself old-fashioned, and as such rather preferred choosing a husband by herself. Naturally, Hermione ignored that first summons. She then ignored the second, then the third, then the fourth, until the Minister himself paid her a visit. Letting her true thoughts be known, she stayed resolutely stubborn, even after Kingsley mentioned that all partners were chosen by a specially brewed potion that found a person's soul mate.

After a moment of staring at the Minister in surprise, Hermione had let out a loud laugh. Love was a chemical in the brain based on attraction and mutual interests, surely a potion could not decide who it was that a person was meant to spend their whole lives with. There was a potion for luck and there was a potion for infatuation, but since love cannot be truly created, she believed that the potion that had been created for this unique purpose was bogus. She continued to call it ridiculous even after Kingsley told her who her soul mate was. Hermione had to clutch her stomach to stop herself from laughing so hard.

A presence behind her made her close the flap of the tent quickly. "I thought the bride should be hidden until she walks down the aisle."

Raising an eyebrow mockingly, she turned to face her best friend. "A bride can do anything she wants on her wedding day."

His smirk was a cheeky one. "I should go ask Mrs Weasley if that is true."

Panicking, Hermione grabbed onto Harry's sleeve to hold him still. "Oh no you don't. You are not going anywhere near her, Harry Potter. She's stifling me! She didn't even let me drink anything," Hermione said with a whine.

"What? Why?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Apparently it's bad luck for a bride to use the loo while she is in her wedding robes before she is actually married." She could tell that Harry was finding her predicament very amusing. "Don't laugh," she said in a stern tone, promising to hurt him with her voice alone. Unfortunately for her, that only made him let out a happy chuckle. Narrowing her eyes at him, she shoved his chest in dismissal, raising her head in defiance. "Fine. Go tell Mrs Weasley. Then she'll have to handle a runaway bride." Raising her skirts, she turned to leave when he grabbed her arm.

"Okay, okay," he said with a laugh. "I'm sorry."

Hermione couldn't help but let her stern look dissolve into an amused expression before the mask she had tried to carefully construct began to slip away.

Harry frowned. "You okay?"

Shaking her head, Hermione moved away from the large tent that had been raised in the backyard of the Burrow, choosing to lean heavily against a tree and not caring that Ginny and Mrs Weasley would have a fit if they saw even one small wrinkle on her pristine robes. "Not that great." She sighed, shoving curls that had been painstakingly placed to fall against her cheek, behind her ear. "I have this friend who happens to be in a predicament."

"Let me guess," said Harry as he stepped closer to her while shoving his hands in the pockets of his dress robes casually. "She's getting married."

She looked at him with earnest. "How can a marriage work when it's been forced like this? Shouldn't there be attraction? Shouldn't there be a mutual agreement by both parties to get married? And why do we need to get married now, while we're so young? Why can't we get married when we're forty, or sixty or-"

"A hundred and seventy years old?" Harry piped in helpfully.

"Yes! That is definitely the perfect age to get married." Sighing, she buried her face in her hands and let out a loud moan. "I can't do this."

"You can," he said gently. "After today life will go back to normal." He grabbed her arm lightly, his eyes sparkling with humour. "Your friend will be fine."

A small smile tugged reluctantly on her lips. "Shouldn't you be going? The wedding is about to start."

Harry looked over his shoulder at the tent that was bustling with activity while everyone took their places. "You won't run away, then?"

She shook her head. "Look for me while you're in there. I will be the one in the ridiculously large white robes walking down the aisle."

His chuckle was affectionate. "And I will be the one at the other end of the aisle waiting patiently for the one in the white robes to bolt."

Her laugh was small before she took his hand in hers and lightly squeezed it in thanks. "I'm sorry it had to end this way."

Harry shrugged. "I'm going to marry my best friend. What could be better?" He leant forward and lightly pecked her cheek before sending her a mock salute and returning to the tent. Hermione wasn't deceived. The smile he had sent her hadn't reached his eyes and his shoulders were slumped as he walked away. It was obvious to everyone that both she and Harry never wanted this. But it was the law and they were both reluctant to take the second choice given which was unemployment. They loved their jobs too much, and the fact that they were both tied to the Ministry, Harry as an Auror and Hermione as a defender for the rights of innocent creatures, was a happy coincidence that the Ministry chose to exploit.

Knowing that the Weasley women were probably frantically looking for her, Hermione pushed herself away from the tree and started forward. In less than an hour she was going to be Mrs Harry James Potter. She might as well get used to it.

**.**


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Boy, there's nothing like Tumblr to get the Harmony feels going. What a response to this story! Thank you for the encouraging reviews. This story has a bit of a mystery element so have patience. We'll get to all of it soon. As well as the drama. For now, this is the honeymoon period (literally).

Oh and fun fact: I don't hate Ron or Ginny, nor am I going to ignore canon up to the Epilogue (What epilogue?), so don't expect any character bashing.

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**Chapter 1  
**

**.**

When it was done, when the words were said and the ceremony had ended, Hermione simply blinked rapidly in confusion. She had known for weeks that this was the end result. However, standing where she was, beside her best friend with her hand tightly clasping his, she felt as if she was floating in a dream. It didn't feel as painful as she thought it would be. Perhaps she was numb to it. Perhaps the gravity of the situation hasn't yet hit her. Perhaps the time has come to accept that she and Harry had given into the ridiculous demands of the Ministry.

"Your union may be sealed with a kiss."

Hermione's head snapped up. How had she forgotten this part of the wizarding ceremony? It was a component that was similar to how a Muggle wedding ceremony would end. They hadn't thought to go through all aspects of the ceremony when they had practiced it the night before.

Turning to her side Hermione looked at Harry. He looked tired. When he turned to face her, his smile was affectionate but sad.

Hermione felt the build up of tears at the corners of her eyes as he leant towards her. _This is it_, she thought to herself. This is exactly what will change their friendship and make them behave awkwardly towards each other. Hermione wasn't sure if she was ready for such a dramatic shift of their friendship. She wasn't sure if she was ready for any change at all.

Harry moved painfully slowly with each passing second, and at the last minute, as his face hovered above hers, he scrunched up his face and stuck his tongue out at her. Hermione burst out laughing just as everyone else did, choosing to stick her own tongue out at him in retaliation. And just because she could, she looked at him cross-eyed to give Harry something to really remember. The crowd went wild with applause.

Harry eyed her in disbelief before coughing, "Show off," into his fist as the wizard who had married them clucked disapprovingly like a mother hen.

Hermione turned to face the audience of this very unique situation just as Harry did, putting her arm around his so that he could help her hold herself up.

"I offered to teach you how to do that," she said smugly as they started walking down the aisle.

Everyone was clapping, cheering and a few even jeering.

"I told you. It's not normal what your eyes can do."

"Says the wizard who has magical powers," Hermione said pointedly.

They hardly made it a few steps before they were tackled. Hermione was instantly separated from Harry as her parents embraced her, followed swiftly by the Weasleys. Molly was in tears, Arthur was the proud father figure while George was the only one to tap her on her head and ask if she really was the smartest witch of her age since she got married to a right tosser. Ginny was the only Weasley who hugged Hermione like she had lost something precious.

"I'm sorry," Ginny whispered, the sadness seeping from her hold before she let go of Hermione with a brave smile and made her way to Harry. Hermione could see them share a quiet word before the two of them shared an embrace. Harry's eyes met Hermione's over Ginny's shoulder as he hugged the redhead before Hermione met his shrug with her own.

* * *

The reception was reminiscent of Bill and Fleur's wedding that had occurred several years ago. The tent was bustling with activity as the guests used this opportunity to talk and laugh, treating the wedding more like a reunion rather than an event signifying a union. Hermione hardly noticed all this as she made her way to the only wizard she had wanted to talk to for the past week.

"Minister!"

Kingsley Shacklebolt turned towards her slowly, his shoulders slumped as if he had been both dreading and expecting her arrival. Hermione couldn't help but take a small pride in his behaviour. The more persistent she was, the higher chance that she could wear him down and get what she wanted. What she and Harry wanted, actually.

"Mrs Potter!" he said easily, her new title flowing from his tongue unhindered. "Congratulations on your nuptials."

"Thank you," Hermione said as graciously as possible. The name was too new to be anything but sound odd to her. "I'm glad you could make it."

Kingsley nodded guardedly. "The pleasure is all mine."

"I'm especially glad you made it because according to our last talk, you said you would give me the documents I wanted when I got married." She gestured to the tent, the dance floor and the huge wedding cake with a large smile. "I got married!"

Kingsley looked down at the drink in his hand as he contemplated her words. "Hermione—"

"Minister," Hermione said carefully, speaking over him when his expression turned sour. "You promised me the names of all those who had been drafted with the marriage law once I got married. I got married, so I would really appreciate it if I could have the list of names even if they are not known in public."

Kingsley Shacklebolt looked at her with pity. "I promised you the names and so I will give them to you. It will take time."

Hermione's smile fell so fast her mouth hurt. "How much time?"

He shook his head, and Hermione felt her heart sink.

"How much time?" she asked again.

"There are channels I have to go through—"

"You are the _Minister for Magic!_ What form of channels do you possibly need to go through?" Hermione eyed him incredulously. He had to be lying. She had gone through this farce today of all days based on a promise they had made to each other.

Kingsley's expression softened. "I'm sorry, Hermione. I will do my best to send you all the information you want as soon as possible. But for now, why not enjoy the wedding?"

Hermione felt her lips part immediately as she readied herself for retaliation. She felt the need to tell him exactly _why_ she couldn't appreciate the wedding reception he was adamant that she enjoy. At that moment, someone passed her, taking her hand in the process and dragging her to the dance floor. Hermione didn't try to untangle her hand from Harry's as he pulled her body against his and started moving to the slow music.

"Breathe in…"

Hermione did as he bid.

"Breathe out."

She let out a low breath, feeling her shoulders relax instantly.

He pulled her closer, his breath warming her ear. "Feel better?"

Hermione shook her head. "He lied to me, Harry. He promised to get me all the information I needed once we got married. He didn't bring any of it." Her eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. "Why are we dancing?"

"Because you were about to hex Kingsley."

Hermione pulled back so that her eyes could meet his. "I was _not!"_

"You were reaching for your wand." He looked at her pointedly. "You really need to control that temper of yours."

Hermione felt her jaw drop at the most hypocritical sentence she had ever heard. "_My _temper?"

Harry laughed as he twirled her. He caught her easily as she returned to her place right against him, his arm going around her waist to hold her close. "You did slap Malfoy in third year."

"Oh, that." Hermione sighed regrettably. "He was a prat. He deserved it."

"Not denying that."

"I expected Kingsley to keep his word."

"You mean that you expected Kingsley to hand you the documents as soon as we got married."

She sighed as she leant her head against his chest, using him as she would a pillow had she had one in hand. "Is that too much to ask?"

Harry stayed silent for a while; so silent that Hermione pulled back so she could look at him. He looked deep in thought.

"What is it?"

"Do you really think there's something we can use to get rid of this law?"

"I can hope. There has to be something they're not telling us. If this law is legitimate, why not let the results be made public? What is there to gain by pairing us off one by one and getting us married to each other?"

He smiled sadly at her. "You've been asking that question for the past two years."

"And I have gotten nowhere with it. Every time I think I have discovered something new, a new 'classified' sign is stamped over it. Kingsley _promised_ me that I wouldn't have to go through this nonsense if I cooperated. Isn't that why we finally got married? To get answers?"

"Hang on!" Harry looked at her with mock hurt. "I thought we got married because I'm the chosen one and you knew that you could never get anyone better."

Rolling her eyes, Hermione let go of his shoulder to whack him upside his head.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"Try speaking sense next time," she said sternly, even though her lips completely betrayed her by making her grin widely like a loon.

* * *

After Harry had made the rounds and thanked everyone for attending his wedding, some more than once, he made his way over to the one person he had yet to speak to since the start of the wedding ceremony. Ron sat at the corner most table silently nursing a Firewhisky. He had a frown that everyone had tried to wipe away before they had resorted to letting him be.

"Is this seat taken?"

Ron looked up and he gestured flippantly for Harry to take the seat closest to him. Once Harry sat down, Ron finally said the first words of the day.

"Congratulations." His tone was bitter and laced with disappointment as he took a sip of his drink.

Harry winced. "You okay?"

Ron's glare was murderous. "Brilliant."

Leaning forward, Harry dropped his voice to a low hiss. "Look, I didn't ask for this. None of us did."

"You didn't fight it," Ron mumbled darkly.

"Were you not there the past two years, Ron?" Harry asked in exasperation. "All we have done is fight it. They took away my field duty. They made sure that Hermione had so many rules to follow that she was unable to start her foundation for the protection of magical creatures."

"I know," Ron mumbled. "I remember."

"Do you remember what they said? If Hermione and I give in to the law, if we get married—"

"They will stop their bloody stupidity. I remember," he muttered reluctantly.

Harry paused to run his hand through his hair in frustration. No matter how many times they have had this conversation nothing seemed to have changed. "If you remember all that," he said carefully, "it would be great if you could stop acting the prat. It's not only your life that has changed because of this."

"I know." Ron shook his head as if his body was saying 'no'. "I'm trying. I really am. It wasn't supposed to be you and Hermione. It was supposed to be me and Hermione."

Ginny caught his eye from the dance floor. Her smile was gentle as she waved at him. Harry turned his attention back to Ron. "I know."

Ron buried his head in his hands. "I hate this, Harry. I hate that they're forcing you and Hermione to do this." He raised his head, his expression one of utter defeat. "Am I next? Who will they pair me with? Pansy Parkinson?" He shuddered, and Harry couldn't help but let a small grin escape him.

"You're not paired with anyone yet."

"Thank Merlin!" Ron breathed out a sigh of relief. His eyes then fell on Hermione who had seemed to find Kingsley by himself once again. Harry briefly wondered if he should drag her from him again, even though he knew that no matter what he did she would somehow get what she wanted. It was a quality that caused him both immense frustration and sparkling pride.

"How is she?"

"It's only been a few hours." Harry tore his eyes away from the image of Kingsley shaking his head and an animated Hermione doing nothing to hide her frustration, to focus on Ron. "Check on us in a day or two. She might have hexed me by then."

Ron chuckled despite himself. "A bloody funny life we're living, innit?"

Harry grimaced at the choice of wording, although he couldn't find a reason to disagree with it. "Hilarious," he deadpanned.

Ron took another sip of his drink before looking at Harry seriously. "Look after her, ya?"

"Ron… Look who you're talking to. Have I ever let anything bad happen to her?"

"I know, I know. I just… Just promise me, ya? Just promise me that you'll look after her?"

No doubt his best friend needed to hear the words to move on. If that was the case, Harry was going to give it to him. "Of course," Harry said without hesitation. "I promise."

Ron's smile was grateful. "Good."

"Good," Harry repeated.

They shared an understanding smile before Harry decided that it was time to grumble about the wizard from the Ministry who had performed the marriage ceremony. Luckily for him, Ron had a_ lot_ to say on that subject.

* * *

It wasn't long after the last guest had left when Hermione snuck into the Burrow's living room and finally kicked off her shoes before falling onto the couch with a tired sigh. They had been pinching her toes practically the whole night; not even a simple charm to cushion the shoes had worked for longer than an hour at a time. She charmed herself a glass of water and took a long, deep gulp. She was parched. She had probably yelled at Kingsley too many times as it is, but considering the fact that he had finally relented and promised to send her all the information she needed on the marriage law before the end of the week, Hermione couldn't help but view the night as a victory.

Harry sunk into the seat right next to her before taking the glass from her hand and finishing the water. He placed the empty glass on the closest counter, an act that looked to be of monumental effort. Hermione didn't even have the strength to glare at him with disapproval.

"I'm tired," he said sleepily. He had taken off his outer dress robes, rolled the sleeves of his dress shirt up to his forearms and yanked off his tie. His hair was more of a mess than what it usually was.

Hermione nodded, yawning behind her open hand and blinking away the tears. She had no doubt that her own appearance was just as untidy. She could feel her hair fighting its bindings with a fierce determination. "Where are the others?"

"Taking down the tent." He glanced at her, his eyes drooping. "We should go help them."

"Hm." Hermione pushed him slightly to the side so that he was leaning his back against the arm of the couch. Harry didn't protest as she lifted her legs onto the couch, tucking them under her as she snuggled under his arm and placed her head on his chest. "We should," she mumbled sleepily. She had every intention of going outside to help. She needed to rest first, maybe close her eyes for a bit.

She felt his chuckle against her cheek as his chest bobbed. "I liked what Luna was wearing today," he said after a moment.

"The snitch-themed robes? Figures."

"You didn't like it?"

"It was gold."

"It was accurate."

"She blinded me. I nearly tripped."

"She needed wings," he mumbled sleepily.

Hermione felt her body lethargically mould against his as she got more comfortable against him. "Luna with wings is a dangerous combination."

His arm tightened around her. "Hermione?" he said softly, a sleepy slur to his voice.

"Hm?"

"I'm glad you didn't hex Kingsley."

Hermione snickered against his chest, her arms circling around his waist so to make herself more comfortable.

"Harry?" Her voice was whisper soft as her eyes felt heavier than before. His chest was steadily rising and falling against her cheek. "I'm glad it was you."

The words were barely spoken before she finally fell into a blissfully exhausted sleep.

**.**


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Sorry about the lateness of this update. Assignments and other such things kept me busy. And, thank you for all the encouraging reviews. I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint.

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**Chapter 2  
**

**.**

When Hermione finally blinked open her eyes it was to the sound of hushed voices. She stretched languidly against her chosen pillow for the night before she gently raised his arm from around her and snuck out from under his grasp. It took a while, but once her vision was as far from blurred as it could be, she looked down at Harry with a soft sigh.

From his posture she could see that he had fallen asleep in a very uncomfortable position. A feeling of affection rose within her at the thought that he had put her needs before his own, and not for the first time. No doubt, she had to give him a stern talking to about it later.

Deciding not to wake him, she gently plucked his glasses from where it was lying on the edge of his nose and placed it gently on the seat next to her. She then proceeded to run her fingers through his dark hair gently, shaking her head in disbelief, wondering how they could be different in so many ways, yet have messy hair in common.

"There you are, dear. I had a feeling you would be up by about now."

Hermione drew her hand away quickly, standing up in time to accept a warm mug from Molly Weasley.

"Thought you might like some hot chocolate in the morning," Molly said with a friendly smile.

Hermione took a grateful sip, effectively burning the tip of her tongue and losing the feeling of sleepiness as a result.

"Thank you," she said quickly. "I'm sorry for not helping out last night. Harry and I were very tired and—"

Molly slapped away her argument with a quick swish of her hand. "Don't worry about it. It was _your _wedding. Naturally, we couldn't ask the bride and groom to do all the work."

Hermione felt a small smile fight through, even as her gaze fell on the bridal robes she still wore with a sense of foreboding. "It wasn't a _real_ wedding, though, was it?"

At Molly's silence, Hermione looked up.

"Well," Molly began slowly, as if she was thinking it over in her head. "That would depend on what you and Harry make of it, wouldn't it?"

It was the first time anyone had ever posed an opinion as to her planned marriage to Harry similar to how Hermione had thought it should be. She shared a grateful smile with the head of the Weasley household before pulling her in with a grateful hug.

"Thank you, Mrs Weasley."

Molly gave her two strong pats on the back before pulling away. "You're welcome, dear. You are like my daughter, after all," she said with a small laugh.

Her words made Hermione's foggy brain clear instantly. "My parents! Are they still here?" Sometimes, even she forgot that they were not as used to the wizarding world as she was. She tried her best to be the communicative element between what is Muggle and what is magical. Yet, there were times when she breezed past certain facts because she mistakenly assumed that they knew about it.

Molly placed a comforting hand on Hermione's arm, her look one that she used on many a Weasley to stop hem from panicking. "Arthur took them home last night. Poor things. They were rather apprehensive about using a Portkey."

Hermione winced. She would have to Apparate to her parents' house as soon as possible and see if they were all right. Her father was not the best magical traveller out there, her mother was bordering on the worst.

But for now, she rather fancied a quick walk around the back garden of the Burrow where the magnificent tent had been constructed only a few hours before. Some fresh air would do some good, too.

At that moment, Ron appeared from the kitchen, still dressed in his pyjamas and a deep frown on his face. "Hermione gets hot chocolate?" he asked incredulously.

Molly turned towards her youngest son with her hands on her hips. "Yes, Ron, Hermione gets hot chocolate."

"Bloody hell," he mumbled darkly, causing Hermione to hide her smile behind a small sip. "You would give Hermione hot chocolate, but refuse your own son?"

Molly shook her head. "You're on a chocolate ban."

"Since when?"

"Since you finished all the chocolate that was meant for the Ministry Christmas Party."

"That was two years ago!"

Hermione bit her lower lip in an effort not to let out a small laugh.

"And you still haven't learnt your lesson," Molly said sternly before marching right past Ron and into the kitchen.

Ron's gaze met hers before his eyes fell on Hermione's warm mug of hot chocolate. When his eyes rose meet her gaze once again, Hermione didn't hide the amused laugh she had tried to keep at bay for Molly Weasley's benefit.

"Fancy a walk?"

Ron's grin widened. "Yeah."

* * *

Harry was woken up with a gentle shake to his shoulder.

"Come on, Harry dear. You don't want to be late, do you?"

Harry blinked rapidly as he sat up. He could just make out someone—who sounded an awful lot like Molly Weasley—hand him his glasses. Once he put them on, he sat up straighter, his back and his neck feeling like they had been twisted in knots.

"Morning, Mrs Weasley," he said politely before he fought back a yawn and stretched in an effort to fix his aching limbs.

"Would you like some hot chocolate? We got some in the kitchen."

"Hot chocolate sounds lovely," Harry said, clearing his throat and getting to his feet. Sleepily, he followed Molly to the kitchen, taking his seat at the table only to have a steaming mug of sweet smelling hot chocolate placed before him. "Thank you."

He took a sip and leant back, immediately pulling off his glasses so he could rub the tiredness from his eyes.

"Where's Hermione?"

"She's outside."

Harry nodded as he placed his glasses back on, knowing that Hermione preferred to walk sometimes to clear her head.

"With Ron."

The mug that had been raised to his lips paused before he could take a sip. He placed the mug down, his brows furrowing. "He's up?" Through all the years Harry knew him, Ron was never an early riser.

"He never went to sleep," Molly said with a sigh. She sat down opposite Harry, her own mug placed in front of her. "Yesterday was difficult for him, and for Ginny."

Harry didn't look up, choosing to concentrate on the small rings his finger was making on the handle of his mug. "I know."

A moment of silence passed before Molly spoke again. "What are your plans, Harry?"

He looked up in confusion. "Plans?"

"Surely, you must be having plans." She took a long sip before putting her mug down.

Harry's frown deepened. "I don't know, really. Hermione usually makes the plans. She's better at it."

Molly nodded, her own frown deepening. "I don't like seeing my children hurting. I think you need to be upfront with them."

Harry shifted in his seat, suddenly uncomfortable. "What do you mean?"

Molly watched him for a moment. "Ginny has been offered to become a Hollyhead Harpy. She is no longer a player in the reserves."

Harry felt his chest expand with pride. "That's fantastic!" he said with genuine happiness. He knew how hard Ginny had worked to get this far. She deserved such an honour more than even she knew. He wondered why she didn't tell him.

"Isn't it?" Molly asked, beaming widely. "She's been trying so hard to become a Chaser and now she has finally done it. This means that she has to tour, you know. She has to travel."

"Of course." Harry knew that just as any Quidditch enthusiast did. He only wondered what this had to do with him.

"She's thinking about turning them down."

Harry's eyes widened. "Why?"

Molly leant forward, her voice urgent. "Because of _you_."

Harry felt her words hit him in the chest like a bludger would. "Me?"

"She's convinced that if she leaves things will change between you two. You need to talk to her. Convince her that nothing will change."

"I can't…" Harry hesitated. "I can't promise that, Mrs Weasley. Things _will_ change. My life has never been something that stays the way it is for too long. I've come to expect it, actually."

He saw the way Molly's face fell and immediately regretted his words.

"I'll talk to her," he said quickly, mostly to appease the woman who has treated him more warmly than his own family ever did. "I'll convince her to go."

Her smile was grateful. "Thank you, Harry." Standing up quickly, she came around the table and took his mug from his hand. "Go on, then. Chop, chop. She's already awake and waiting for you."

Harry's gaze fell on the hot chocolate. He really wanted to finish that. "But the—"

"It will still be here when you come back. Now, be a dear and go talk to her."

Harry was practically pushed from his chair and forced out of the kitchen. No doubt Molly had this whole thing planned. After so many years, he should really be less surprised by her need to control everything that has to do with her children.

He was passing the open window and heading for the stairs when a flash of white caught his attention. Hermione stood outside in the back garden of the Burrow, Ron beside her but with his back to him. Harry saw Ron down something quickly, earning a small laugh from Hermione before her eyes fell on Harry.

They looked at each other and she cocked her head at him in confusion. Harry shrugged, and she nodded, as if she understood that he would tell her what he needed to tell her, only later.

Harry started for Ginny's bedroom without looking back.

After Fred and George had left the Burrow, Ginny fought Ron for the twins' room and won by twisting her father around her little finger. Arthur Weasley could never deny any of his children any form of mischief, but when it came to his daughter, even the sky wasn't the limit.

Harry stood awkwardly outside her bedroom for a moment before he finally knocked. Ginny threw open the door, nearly knocking him as he jumped away in surprise. She didn't look pleased to see him.

"Mum send you?" She turned and walked back into the room.

"Um…" Harry followed her inside before reaching to close the door behind him.

"The door remains open!" a familiar voice yelled from downstairs. Harry let go of the handle and stepped inside. Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Hearing of a pixie, my mum." She sat down on her bed and smiled despite the fact that her eyes looked far from happy. "She could hear what Fred and George were up to even before they were up to anything."

Harry let a small laugh escape him as he chose to stand awkwardly near the door. "I wouldn't put it past her to charm this room so she knows what people do up here, actually."

Her smile was small and grateful. "No, neither would I." A small moment passed before Ginny let out a small sigh. "She told you, then."

Harry nodded.

"And you think I should go."

"You should. Don't turn it down. You'll regret it. _I'll _regret it."

She looked down, her hands fiddling nervously on her lap. "And if things change?"

Harry stayed silent, unsure of what exactly he could say to make this whole situation better.

"I'm going to be away for six months, Harry. I know we had this discussion. I know that as long as you and Hermione are married we can't be what we were. But I thought that I would be here for that, you know? I didn't think that I would get this."

"But you did get this."

"I did." She looked up at him, her eyes sad. "Will you miss me?"

Harry stared at her, unable to answer. Part of him did know that he would miss her greatly, but the past few months had been centred on Hermione. He and Ginny had begun growing apart, spending less and less time together, hardly ever confiding in one another. He had Hermione for that. It was hard to answer such a question when even Harry didn't know the answer to it.

Ginny let out a low breath as she shook her head. "Silly me. Asking a married man if he would miss me! I always told myself that I wouldn't be one of those girls, the _other_ woman." She laughed lightly, the sound anything but happy.

Harry let out a soft sigh as he joined Ginny on her bed, his brows furrowed. "I'm sorry, Ginny. I really am."

"I know." She bit the inside of her cheek in thought. "Do you think that this will ever end?"

"Hermione will think of something," Harry said confidently. There was no doubt in his mind.

Again, Ginny let out a small laugh, one that made Harry eye her incredulously, since this was one based on honest humour.

"What?" he asked her, quite confused.

"No wonder the law chose to put you two together. In your eyes, she can never do any wrong."

Harry shook his head instinctively. "That's not true."

"It's all right, Harry. Really. In her eyes, you can never do any wrong either. You're perfect for each other because of your ridiculous notions."

He let out a small laugh, the laughter dying as he met her eyes with his own. "I would, you know, miss you."

Ginny nodded as she took his hand in hers and gave him a quick kiss on his cheek. "I will miss you too, Harry."

* * *

Hermione waited patiently, her lips twisted in amusement until Ron finished every last drop of the one drink his mother had chosen to deny him.

"Happy now?"

Ron licked his lips and decided to think on that question for a while. "I don't know why you don't like it. Bloody good, that is."

"I _do _like it, Ronald." She grabbed the mug from him, sighing sadly to herself. "I was just being nice by offering you some."

"You're too nice sometimes," he said with a teasing lilt to his voice.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "So you've told me."

He stepped closer to her. "You believe me, right? After all, I never lie." He teased.

Hermione bit her lower lip to stop herself from smiling. These boys were so very full of themselves that it was nothing short of amusement whenever they said something even resembling self-praise.

She nodded, with what she hoped was a stern expression on her face. "You're the pinnacle of spoken truth."

Ron came even closer, his grin wide and a sparkle in his blue eyes. "I'm glad you finally agree, Hermione. Took you a while."

She raised her chin in defiance. "I like to make informed decisions."

His eyes fell on her mouth. "So I've noticed."

Just as he leant in, Hermione moved her head away from him while her hand was placed firmly on his chest. Ron stepped back, his expression one of utter confusion.

"What—?"

Hermione let out a shaky breath, her fingers tightening on the mug. "I'm married now."

"Yeah." Ron scoffed. "Fake-married. To _Harry_!"

She shook her head, unable to answer him. She didn't know how to explain it so that he would understand.

"It's still a marriage, Ron. It still _means_ something."

He looked at her incredulously, as if she had slapped him and hit him with a bludger. "You promised—"

"I know," she said softly.

He ignored her interruption, his eyes narrowing meaningfully. "You _promised_ that things would go back to the way they were."

"They will," Hermione said earnestly. "Once Harry and I annul our marriage and the law is behind us." She moved closer to him, placing a calming hand on his arm in a gesture to request understanding. "Until then, things will be different, if only for a short while."

Ron shrugged her off, his own hands running through his hair in frustration. "Do you think that Harry and Ginny would do this?" he asked, his tone desperate. "They wouldn't. They would do everything they bloody well please while you tell me that we can't do anything that _we _want."

Hermione's back stiffened, the topic he raised being one that she would rather ignore. "What Harry and Ginny want to do is their business. But, I don't think it's right. You know that, Ron."

"This is bullocks, and you know it."

"Ron—"

"Not now, Hermione. I can't handle this right now." He walked past her, and right past Harry, who happened to step out of the Burrow with a smile on his face.

Once Ron slammed the door after him, Harry raised a curious eyebrow as he came to stand near Hermione. "What happened?"

Hermione shook her head, utterly confused by the fight they just had. "I don't know." She pulled her wand out and charmed the mug she held in her hand so that it floated through the open window and landed on the Weasleys' kitchen table. Putting her wand away, she took in a deep breath and forced a smile on her face. "Ready for work?"

Harry eyed her as if he didn't believe her, but he decided to ignore what had happened between her and Ron. "No," he said easily. "We can use our honeymoon vacation days as a proper vacation, though," he reminded her, knowing that she would disagree. "Wouldn't that be something?"

As expected, Hermione shook her head in disagreement. "What good would that do? If we are to get what we want from Kingsley, we need to be at work so often he should be dreaming about us."

Harry let out a tired sigh. He knew she was right. "See you at work, then?"

Hermione nodded sadly before giving in to the need to be comforted. She stepped closer to Harry and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. "You're making this bearable for me," she said softly into his ear. "You know that, right?"

Harry nodded into her shoulder, his own arms tightening around hers. "I know."

With a final squeeze, Hermione let go. "Try speaking to Ron, would you? He listens to you."

He let out a low breath. "Only when he doesn't feel like punching me."

Hermione's lips split into a happy smile. "Which is rarely, I gather?"

Harry shrugged good-naturedly. "It doesn't help that he's such a prat."

They shared a small laugh before Hermione stepped away from him and pulled out her wand. "Goodbye, Harry. See you in a bit."

Harry nodded as he pulled out his own wand. "Goodbye, Hermione."

With one final smile, they Apparated on the spot, both intending to go to their own houses, wash up and get ready for a gruelling day before meeting again at work.

**.**


End file.
